19
additional members of the snake family encountered in the Everglades. Lesser reptiles include lizards of the gecko, anole, iguana, and skink families (Gunderson and
Loftus 1993). And finally, turtles, both freshwater and marine, and tortoises are also
considered residents of Everglades National Park. These include the Florida snapping turtle, gopher tortoise, diamondback terrapin, green sea turtle, loggerhead sea
turtle, and Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle (Lodge 1994; Myers and Ewel 1990).
Just as abundant as the reptile species, so are a wide variety of birds, fish, and
insects. The diversity of bird species found in south Florida’s Everglades is especially rich for a number of reasons, which include the presence of a mild climate,
suitable water and food resources, and a protected resting area for migratory species. Ornithologists have noted that almost every bird species that frequents the
states along the eastern seaboard are found in or near the Everglades at some time
of the year (Ogden 1994). Only those distinctive bird members found in the
Everglades year round are those who prefer a watery plain for a natural habitat.
Examples of bird fauna found in or around the glades include the heron, crane, bittern, grebe, water turkey, duck, turkey vulture, limpkin, hawk, osprey, rail, gallinule,
coot, dove, kite, thrush, and cardinal (Lodge 1994; Myers and Ewel 1990). No longer common among these species, the roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) and the
American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), whose rose tint is derived from the
carotenoid pigments they digest as dietary byproducts, have all but disappeared
from south Florida due to human intrusion (Chimney and Goforth 2001). Likewise,
the snowy egret (Egretta thula) and the white ibis (Eudocimus albus), once the prey
of plume hunters and threatened with extinction, are now justly protected by law
throughout the Everglades (Frederick et al. 2008).
Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades serve as ideal habitats for many fish species, especially in times of high water. During these flood-like hydroperiods, the fish
usually venture into weedy sections bordering the lake and the glades in order to
enjoy new feeding grounds. Among the fish species found in the various lakes,
pools, and sloughs of the Everglades are catfish, shiners, kill fish, sunfish, bluegill
bream, dogfish, alligator gar, and numerous minnows are found in the lakes, pools,
and sloughs of the Everglades (Davis and Ogden 1994; Lodge 1994). One fish species that once thrived in the Everglades before the beginning of drainage operations
was the black, or largemouth, bass (Micropterus salmoides). Specimens of over
10 kg were common before overfishing and water relocation in the glades occurred
(Rader and Richardson 1994).
The Everglades are teeming with many species of invertebrates, such as insects,
crustaceans, and gastropods. Among the insects are a large variety of spiders, termites, dragonflies, roaches, grasshoppers, beetles, moths, butterflies, ants, wasps,
bees, hornets, centipedes, scorpions, flies, and mosquitoes (Lodge 1994). Whereas,
gastropods, predominantly in the form of tree and marsh snails who display many
different colors in their shells (Darby et al. 2002), and crustaceans, found mostly as
crawfish species, both provide an important dietary niche in the complex food webs
of the Everglades (Davis and Ogden 1994; Trexler and Goss 2008).
The mammals found within the Everglades are actually very few in number.
Other than birds, fish, insects, and reptiles, the center of the Everglades is nearly
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration
additional members of the snake family encountered in the Everglades. Lesser reptiles include lizards of the gecko, anole, iguana, and skink families (Gunderson and
Loftus 1993). And finally, turtles, both freshwater and marine, and tortoises are also
considered residents of Everglades National Park. These include the Florida snapping turtle, gopher tortoise, diamondback terrapin, green sea turtle, loggerhead sea
turtle, and Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle (Lodge 1994; Myers and Ewel 1990).
Just as abundant as the reptile species, so are a wide variety of birds, fish, and
insects. The diversity of bird species found in south Florida’s Everglades is especially rich for a number of reasons, which include the presence of a mild climate,
suitable water and food resources, and a protected resting area for migratory species. Ornithologists have noted that almost every bird species that frequents the
states along the eastern seaboard are found in or near the Everglades at some time
of the year (Ogden 1994). Only those distinctive bird members found in the
Everglades year round are those who prefer a watery plain for a natural habitat.
Examples of bird fauna found in or around the glades include the heron, crane, bittern, grebe, water turkey, duck, turkey vulture, limpkin, hawk, osprey, rail, gallinule,
coot, dove, kite, thrush, and cardinal (Lodge 1994; Myers and Ewel 1990). No longer common among these species, the roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) and the
American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), whose rose tint is derived from the
carotenoid pigments they digest as dietary byproducts, have all but disappeared
from south Florida due to human intrusion (Chimney and Goforth 2001). Likewise,
the snowy egret (Egretta thula) and the white ibis (Eudocimus albus), once the prey
of plume hunters and threatened with extinction, are now justly protected by law
throughout the Everglades (Frederick et al. 2008).
Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades serve as ideal habitats for many fish species, especially in times of high water. During these flood-like hydroperiods, the fish
usually venture into weedy sections bordering the lake and the glades in order to
enjoy new feeding grounds. Among the fish species found in the various lakes,
pools, and sloughs of the Everglades are catfish, shiners, kill fish, sunfish, bluegill
bream, dogfish, alligator gar, and numerous minnows are found in the lakes, pools,
and sloughs of the Everglades (Davis and Ogden 1994; Lodge 1994). One fish species that once thrived in the Everglades before the beginning of drainage operations
was the black, or largemouth, bass (Micropterus salmoides). Specimens of over
10 kg were common before overfishing and water relocation in the glades occurred
(Rader and Richardson 1994).
The Everglades are teeming with many species of invertebrates, such as insects,
crustaceans, and gastropods. Among the insects are a large variety of spiders, termites, dragonflies, roaches, grasshoppers, beetles, moths, butterflies, ants, wasps,
bees, hornets, centipedes, scorpions, flies, and mosquitoes (Lodge 1994). Whereas,
gastropods, predominantly in the form of tree and marsh snails who display many
different colors in their shells (Darby et al. 2002), and crustaceans, found mostly as
crawfish species, both provide an important dietary niche in the complex food webs
of the Everglades (Davis and Ogden 1994; Trexler and Goss 2008).
The mammals found within the Everglades are actually very few in number.
Other than birds, fish, insects, and reptiles, the center of the Everglades is nearly
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration